Leesburg woman found alive after missing for nearly a month was probably scared, daughter says

June 2, 2014|By Jayna Omaye, Orlando Sentinel

LEESBURG — The daughter of a 75-year-old woman found alive Saturday after missing for nearly a month said her mother has a history of mental-health issues and "was scared to go home."

"She does have some paranoia issues," said Renee Shelley, whose mother, Traute Rankin, was reported missing May 2. Shelley, who was in the process of moving to The Villages from South Carolina, hadn't seen Rankin since April 27. "I'm assuming she was scared that she knew in her mind that someone was looking for her."

Rankin was found Saturday afternoon lying in the bushes at the edge of the parking lot of the Walmart at 2501 Citrus Blvd., according to Leesburg police.

Shelley said Rankin told her she set out to walk to the Walmart near her home but instead took a different path than she normally did and walked down an embankment and "ducked into the woods."

She didn't have her phone with her but had three granola bars in her purse, Shelley said. Rankin told Shelley she went to Walmart to buy a drink from a vending machine and found bottles on the side of the road to drink from.

"She said she was so weak and she laid down in the bushes," Shelley said. "She was pretty adamant that no one was there to help her. She was saying that she was with no one."

Rankin — who lived at a 55-and-older community — was taken to Leesburg Regional Medical Center. She had several bug bites and was "slightly dehydrated" but generally appeared in good health, Leesburg police Capt. Rob Hicks said.

"She was a little bit confused when they found her," Hicks said. "She had an account of what occurred. Nothing relating to any abuse or anything criminal in nature, although we will continue to investigate that just to be sure."

Shelley said her mother will undergo a mental-health evaluation soon. She is looking into finding alternative housing, such as an assisted-living facility, for Rankin because she doesn't think her mother can live independently anymore.